CATASTROPHE!

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A U.S. tank outside the children's section of the IraqNational Museum. On April 8, 2003, a gaping hole in the façade of this gateway was made by a U.S. tank round. The Assyrian winged bull in the gateway is similar to the one on display in the Yelda Khorsabad Court in the Oriental Institute Museum. Photo Credit: Joanne Farchakh-Bajjaly.

At a distance, the extent of looting at Umma and the surrounding area is highly visible. However, the scarred landscape tells only half the story: at the bottom of some of these pits are horizontal tunnels dug by looters in an attempt to stay out of the desert sun and exploit the most profitable layer of artifacts. This image was taken during a helicopter flight over archaeological sites conducted by the Carabinieri, an Italian military police unit stationed in Iraq from June though November 2003. Photo Credit: Carabinieri.

This box of artifacts was on sale in a Baghdad market. Iraq National Museum identification numbers are visible on many cylinder seals inside the box. Photo Credit: Dr. Donny George Youkhanna.